The Moments We Hold Dear
by Lucinda M. H. Cheshir
Summary: Zoro and Nami do not have what one would call a great relationship with each other, but they do have their moments. Series of ZoNa drabbles. Rated T because of language. All One Piece characters belong to Oda-Sensei. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Just Before the Baratie Arc**

Zoro yawned. He'd been on lookout for almost three hours now, and it was well past 1:00 in the morning. The next shift ought to have started quite awhile ago, and Zoro was more than ready to give a browbeating to whoever it was who had agreed to take the next shift and overslept. Shivering, he pulled his blanket more tightly about his shoulders and looked up at the clear night sky, spangled with brightly glowing stars. _Damn it,_ he thought _my vision's getting hazy. I need some sleep. If only I could remember what idiot said that they'd take the next shift... Was it Usopp, maybe?_

"Sorry I'm late. Were you waiting for me long?"

"About damn time, Nami." Zoro scowled. "Had a good sleep, then, did you?"

"Oh, quit being so grumpy!" Nami scolded, sitting down in the crow's nest next to him. "I'm here now, so you can go skipping along to your hammock and get your sleep. But leave that blanket here. I'm cold."

"Fat chance. It's my blanket. And _I'll_ be cold without it." Zoro threw the blanket over his shoulder and prepared to swing his leg over the edge of the crow's nest, but his legs buckled out from underneath him the moment he stood up. The sharp, painful tingling he felt made him almost start swearing, but Zoro kept his presence, instead sitting back down neatly.

"Everything all right?" Nami asked, glancing sidelong at him, then returning to her binoculars, all while shivering quite obviously.

"It's nothing." Zoro scowled, slouching against the mast. Nami smirked knowingly.

"Your legs fell asleep, didn't they?" she laughed, checking her compass and looking up at the sky through her binoculars.

"No." Zoro lied.

"I'm right." Nami smiled. "Aren't I?"

"Fine. But it's your fault. If you'd come up here when you said you would..." Zoro crossed his arms and shivered.

"You can stay up here on one condition, Zoro. You have to share the blanket." Nami announced, suddenly turning towards him with a deadly serious expression.

Zoro was somewhat taken aback, but not so much so that he would forget to complain. "Why didn't you bring your own blanket out here? You should have known that it would be chilly. After all, you're the navigator. You're supposed to be the expert on weather."

"I'm only cooperating with you guys. How many times do I have to say that? You should be grateful I'm even going so far as to help with lookout duties. I don't have to, you know." Nami took one side of the blanket, while Zoro refused to relinquish the other. Sighing, Nami tucked her half of the blanket around her shoulders, while Zoro tried to do likewise. It was too short.

"No good. Neither of us will be comfortable like this." Zoro voiced what they were both thinking.

"Yeah," Nami agreed. "You should just let me use it."

"No, you should try to come up with a reasonable solution." Zoro retorted.

Nami pouted, glanced up at the sky again. "Well fine. I suppose I have something of an idea. But if you so much as _allude_ to this when you're talking to Luffy or Usopp, so help me, you will _pay_."


	2. Chapter 2

"This is really awkward." Once again, it was Zoro who voiced the thought that was on both their minds.

"Shut up. I'm trying to forget you're there." It was dark, but in the clear starlight, Nami was sure that if Zoro saw her face, he'd be able to see how red she was. She scanned the horizon through her binoculars, then returned her gaze to the sky, trying to forget that she was sitting in Zoro's lap.

"Why do you keep looking at the sky?" Zoro asked, butting into Nami's blissful pretense. "I guess it's pretty and all, but it's not like it'll help you navigate or anything." he paused a moment before adding "Will it?"

Nami was astonished. "You..." she was at the utmost loss of words. "You're an idiot, aren't you?"

"Oi, oi!" Zoro protested. "I'm no navigator. I'm a swordsman!"

"That much is obvious." Nami muttered. Then, louder, she continued. "You really haven't the faintest idea how to use the stars to sail? What about Polaris? Tell me you at least know about Polaris!"

"What's that?" Zoro asked. Nami sighed heavily.

"There." she said, pointing to a bright star somewhere to the left of their position. "That's Polaris. The North Star."

"Why do people call it that?" Zoro asked curiously.

"BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS NORTH, DUMBASS!" Nami shouted, losing patience. Then, sighing again, she continued more calmly. "People use it like a compass: it's a star that always points north, just like the needle of a compass, so sailors can use that to make sure that the direction they're sailing is the direction they need to go."

"Oh. That's cool, I didn't know that." Zoro admitted.

"Though _how_ you didn't know that bit of _extremely basic_ information is _beyond_ me." Nami muttered darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"So why is it just that one star?" Zoro changed the subject quickly.

"It's not. We navigators can use all of the stars we see to help us get where we're going, but Polaris is the only one that always stays relatively in the same position." Nami said smugly, keeping her eyes on the stars.

"Wait, stars move?" Zoro shifted, moving Nami as well.

"Don't move around so much!" she scolded. "And are you a complete moron? The earth rotates, so to us the stars _appear _to move across the sky as the night goes on."

"I know that. I was just teasing you." Zoro grinned.

"Well, stop it. And stop distracting me, I'm supposed to be on lookout duty." Nami felt her blush deepen.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep now."

"Go right ahead."

Zoro pulled his three katanas into the crook of his right arm and shut his eyes. A moment later, his breathing fell into a deep, heavy rhythm, and he began to snore quietly.

Satisfied that the swordsman was asleep, Nami's embarrassment melted away, and she began to feel more comfortable. She leaned back into Zoro, and was surprised to find that she was quite grateful for the warmth his sleeping body provided. It made her much warmer than she otherwise would have been, had she been up in the crow's nest alone, even if she had convinced Zoro to leave his blanket behind. Feeling quietly giddy, Nami couldn't help but allow a broad smile to spread across her face, a smile that instantly vanished when Zoro's head nodded forwards, lolling onto Nami's shoulder.

"Kuina... you're..." Zoro muttered in his sleep, and Nami felt annoyed. Who Kuina was, she didn't know, but she felt distinctly insulted that Zoro was dreaming about Kuina rather than herself. "...dead..." Zoro finished, and Nami's annoyance drained away, replaced by regret. _So he has a dead friend, too._ She thought sadly, looking at Zoro's sleeping head resting on her shoulder. _I wonder what Bellemere-san would think of me if she could see me now. I wonder what this Kuina was like. I wonder if Nojiko and Gen-san are still all right. I've been away for a long time now._ Her thoughts began to wander away from Cocoyashi Village and dead friends, and towards her present situation. _I wonder if Zoro would care if he knew about Arlong. I wonder if Luffy and Usopp would care, too. Granted, they are pirates, but... I don't know, it's like I want to believe that they aren't bad. It's like I want... I don't know, like I want Zoro to be my knight in shining armor or something._ Nami felt her face go red again when she thought that, and she felt almost as though she could shrivel up with embarrassment.

Zoro snored on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just Before The Drum Island Arc**

"Hey, Nami! Guess what! Guess what! We're at an island! An is~land! Is~land! Is~land!" Luffy's excitement was almost palpable as he tried to wake the feverish navigator up.

"Luffy, she's not going to wake up no matter how much you keep saying that. You may as well go on deck and see for yourself." Zoro said finally, becoming irritated with his captain's childish antics.

"Oh, okay!" Luffy grinned and wasted no time in ascending the staircase to the deck, where the sounds of more excited crewmembers were filtering down from.

Zoro sighed, and looked at the navigator's unhealthily flushed face. "I guess I should go and see it, too." he said aloud, though talking to himself. He turned and began following Luffy's footsteps.

"Z-Zoro? Is that you? Where are you going?"

Startled, Zoro turned to face Nami, and saw that her warm brown eyes had opened and she was directing her hazy gaze his way.

"We've sighted an island, and we're going there to find you a doctor. Don't worry, you'll be better soon." Zoro explained, one foot already on the bottom step.

"But we have to go to Alabasta!" Nami protested weakly, sitting up with considerable difficulty. "We have to save... Vivi's country before her people... die..."

Abandoning the staircase, Zoro returned to Nami's bedside and put a gloved hand on her shoulder. "And what about you? You could die on the way. And Vivi herself said that we need you healthy in order to get to Alabasta. A ship's no good without a navigator."

"But... all those lives... could be lost if we don't hurry!" Nami was obviously struggling for all she was worth to keep arguing. Zoro couldn't help but smile: despite whatever greedy intentions Nami might have when it came to a possible reward, it was clear to him that Nami genuinely wanted to save as many lives as she could, even if it meant giving up her own life in the process.

"Idiot." Zoro said finally.

"I don't need you of all people telling me that!" Nami snapped, seeming, for a moment, almost like her old self. She smacked his hand away and shot him a reproachful look. "By the way, how are your legs?"

"Just about all healed. Thanks for asking." Zoro grinned, choosing to ignore Nami's obvious sarcasm. Nami scowled and swayed slightly where she sat. "Anyway," Zoro continued, noticing this, "you should go back to sleep."

"What if I don't want to?" Nami asked, though her shaking, sleepy voice betrayed her.

"Quit lying." Zoro ordered, pulling a glove off and placing his bare hand to her burning forehead. "Your fever's only getting worse when you're moving around like this. Lie back down and go back to sleep until we get you a doctor, okay?"

Gently, he pushed Nami back onto her pillow and pulled her blankets back over her. This done, he started again for the staircase, but Nami caught his bare hand again, impeding his progress.

"Wait..." she mumbled. Zoro looked back at her again.

"What is it now?" He asked, slightly impatiently.

"Will you... Will you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?" she asked, her dewy brown eyes already half-closed.

Zoro met her gaze evenly and after a moment of silence, he nodded, and sat down in the chair that had previously been occupied by Luffy. Nami did not release his hand, even when her eyes drooped and closed completely, and her breathing slowed to deep, even breaths. Zoro waited a moment before he was sure she was asleep, then gently placed Nami's hand on her stomach, then headed up to the deck to have a look at the new island for himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**During the Alabasta Arc, just after Zoro's duel with Mr. 1**

"Hey, Zoro! Zoro, are you all right? You're not dead, are you?" Nami shouted, running as fast as her own injuries would allow her down the decimated Alabastan street.

Zoro, hearing her voice, grunted and attempted, despite his wounds, to sit up.

"Nami, you're okay? That's grea- Guah-!" Zoro choked on his words before he could finish and coughed up some blood, the scarlet droplets of which landed on his already blood-soaked shirt and haramaki.

"Hey!" Nami shouted, and fell, skinning both knees, beside him. "Hang in there! I'll get you to Chopper as soon as I can, just don't die!"

Zoro coughed some more before lying back down on the paved street, his eyelids drooping. "Ach, it's not that bad, Nami. I'll be fine after I take a nap."

"You and your damn naps! You need to wear bandages for once. And you'd better not die on me, not here!" Without quite knowing what she was doing, Nami took Zoro's face in her hands and gently shifted him so that his head rested in her lap.

"What are you doing?" Zoro's eyes had opened wide, and his gaze met Nami's with curiosity mixed with... another, stranger emotion.

"Idiot. I'm only trying to make sure that you don't die. You still owe me 400,000 Beli, after all!" Against her will, Nami felt herself going red. Zoro's curiosity vanished, replaced with an irritated frown.

"I ought to have known. You're still a heartless thief, aren't you? And hey, wait a second, didn't you say that you'd forgive my so-called debt if I did what you told me in Whiskey Peak?"

"Shut up and rest." Nami retorted.

Zoro ignored her. "Are you hurt at all? You won that fight with that weird lady, right?"

Nami smirked. "Piece of cake. My feet are a bit hurt, but that's it. It's nothing compared to your wounds."

"Well, I was kinda fighting a dude who could transform himself into a sword. I think I'm allowed to have some pretty bad wounds." Zoro grinned. Nami puffed out her cheeks in a pouty manner.

"I thought I told you to rest." Nami scolded. Zoro didn't stop grinning, but obediently shut his eyes and allowed himself to relax.

"You know, this isn't so bad..." he murmured as his consciousness ebbed away.

"Just so long as you don't die." Nami allowed herself a small smile, and her face flushed a happy pink as she told herself that she was only glad that her comrade's life wasn't in serious danger. That that was the only reason she was allowing herself to be so happy was because Zoro was her comrade, and nothing more.


	5. Chapter 5

"I thought you said that your feet weren't that bad." Zoro said suspiciously as he sat up gingerly, wincing as he touched the still-fresh wounds on his chest.

"Well, it's not like I can walk on them! I'm not crazy-strong like you are! I mean, look at you, you're already up after only a little rest!" Nami protested.

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm still dizzy! I've lost a lot of blood, in case you hadn't noticed!" Zoro's voice began to rise in frustration.

"Your shouting tells me that you're just fine!" Nami said triumphantly, crawling towards Zoro on her hands and knees.

"Oi, Nami, what are you doing now, you crazy-" His eyes flicked casually down towards Nami's breasts, and Nami smirked, determined to use this to her advantage.

"Come on, Zoro." she said, her voice suddenly shifting into a more cajoling, more coaxing tone. She rose to her knees and put her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him, while Zoro grunted with pain.

Again, his eyes flicked downwards, and again, Nami smirked. This would be easy.

Carefully, she drew her face very close to his, and widened her eyes, trying to appear as innocent and vulnerable as she possibly could: an act that she'd pulled off many times before when manipulating pirates as she was stealing their treasure. It seemed to work, and Nami noticed fresh beads of sweat form on Zoro's brow as his ears and cheeks began to burn red. Still fighting back a smirk that would likely ruin the image, Nami leaned forwards to whisper in his ear. "That awful lady hurt my feet so badly that I can't walk at all." she cajoled in an insistent pout, allowing her lips to brush his ear gently. "Won't you carry me? I don't weigh much, I promise. And," she finally allowed the sly smile she'd been holding back to spread across her lips as she continued. "If you carry me, I'll be sure to make it worth your while."

Her only regret was that she couldn't see Zoro's expression as she said that, but Nami was certain that it was priceless.


	6. Chapter 6

They'd won. Alabasta was safe. Luffy had defeated Crocodile, Vivi's voice had been heard by her people, and the entire exhausted Straw Hat crew had collapsed in an alleyway for a good hour or more. Now that half of the Straw Hats had awoken, Chopper, foolishly ignoring his own wounds, was busy tending to those of the pirates still unconscious: Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro.

Nami, seeing her reindeer friend struggling to drag all three rather heavy pirates towards the palace, limped over.

"Need some help?" Nami asked.

"Oh, Nami. Er, yes, if you could take one of them, that'd be very helpful. But wait, I should bandage those feet of yours, at least-"

Nami waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. We have to get these three somewhere safe to rest soon. That's the important thing." She squatted down and pulled Zoro's muscled arm around her shoulder, finding that she did not mind the blood that would surely stain her clothes. "I'll take Zoro. He's the heaviest, right? Can you manage with Sanji and Luffy, or do you need Usopp to help you?"

"Hey, what exactly are you volunteering me for?" Usopp asked reproachfully from behind his bandages.

"No, it's fine. I can manage these two." Chopper assured Nami as he tossed Luffy's limp body over his shoulder and picked Sanji up carefully, cautious of the cook's many broken ribs.

Nami nodded, then shouted to Usopp. "Okay, long-nose, shut up and follow me. We're going to the Palace."

"Well, fine." Usopp grumbled, walking stiffly, using the entire range of motion that his bandages and injuries allowed in order to even move.

As Nami began to drag Zoro after Chopper, realizing that the swordsman was a lot heavier than she'd expected, he began to cough and seemed to wake up, if only slightly.

"What's going on?" Zoro asked groggily. "Where'm I goin'?"

"Don't worry." Nami assured him, gritting her teeth at the pain that shot up both of her legs with every second she remained standing. "We're headed for the Palace. We've gotta recuperate for a bit. This fight was a nasty one. Now go back to sleep, you're just going to hurt yourself more if you try to move."

"Nami?" With hazy eyes, Zoro looked into Nami's somewhat flustered and pained face. "What are...?"

"Shut up." Nami scolded, straining to drag him along. "You'll make your wounds reopen."

"And what about you?" He asked, his gaze dropping to look at Nami's bleeding knees and feet.

"I'm fine." she insisted.

"I wonder about that." Zoro muttered to himself, his brow knitted with concern. "You look like you're getting a fever." His eyes drooped again.

Nami's flushed face deepened in colour when she heard that. If she was honest with herself for once, she would have to admit that the pink shade her face was currently was due to nothing more and nothing less than Zoro's proximity to her.

"Shut up." she said again, feeling flustered, but Zoro was already snoring.


	7. Chapter 7

**At the End of the Alabasta Arc**

"They'll all be fine? That's a relief." Nami allowed herself to sigh and sit back in her chair.

"Yes, miss." the elderly Alabastan doctor smiled kindly. "Now may I have a look at those feet of yours? And those knees?"

"Oh, yes. Of course." Nami had, in all honesty, become so caught up in the excitement that she had nearly forgotten that she sported some nasty wounds of her own.

Her eyes traveled over her sleeping nakama. They traveled over the snoring Luffy, who had so valiantly fought Crocodile again and again until he'd finally beaten the villainous Shichibukai. They traveled over Sanji, whose bare chest was wrapped tightly in white bandages to minimize the movement of his broken ribs as his chest gently rose and fell with his breath. Her gaze came to a rest on Zoro, whose broad chest was also bare and also bandaged, though his bandages had already been stained a deep red with his blood. His face, even in sleep, was serious and calm, though every so often he shifted slightly and let out a grunt of pain.

_Is he really all right?_ Nami wondered as the doctor first cleaned her wounds with a stinging antiseptic and then wound bandages around her bleeding feet and knees. _I mean, sure, he's been beaten up really bad countless times before- he's even tried to cut his own feet off not too long ago,- but this time it seems like it's worse somehow. As if his life is actually in danger. Oh... I shouldn't have made him carry me all that way, should I? What if it's all my fault that he's like this? He wouldn't _die_, would he?_

"Right then. I think it's best if we all get some sleep." Chopper's voice interrupted Nami's troubled thoughts abruptly.

"Oh, yes. You're right, Chopper." Nami nodded as the Alabastan doctor took his leave, shutting the gaslights off as he went. "We've all been through a lot today."

_Especially Zoro and Luffy._ Nami thought to herself as she slipped into her bed and shut her eyes, determined to get some sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Nami's sleep, as it turned out, was completely nonexistent. She couldn't clear her mind of troubled thoughts, mostly about her comrades' well-being. Mostly about Zoro's well-being.

_Is he really all right?_ She wondered for the thousandth time. She listened for his pained grunts three beds over, but heard nothing but Luffy's snores.

Abandoning her futile attempts at sleep, Nami stood and silently slipped to Zoro's bedside.

She watched his bandaged chest rise and fall in slow, even rhythm. He _was_ breathing, at least. But for some reason, Nami wasn't satisfied with that. She needed more proof that he was really fine. His pulse, maybe? Or a heartbeat?

Nami leaned over and put her ear to the left side of Zoro's chest, searching for his heartbeat. Within a few seconds, she found it, and listened carefully, lulled by its rhythmic beating. _BA-DUM. BA-DUM. BA-DUM._ Zoro seemed to be fine, but Nami was still plagued with worry.

_Maybe I'll just listen for a while longer,_ she told herself. _After all, he probably saved my life by defeating Mr. 1 earlier. I can't imagine what would have happened if he'd lost that battle._ Nami continued listening, and allowed her body to relax as it was: resting her head on Zoro's bare chest and draped over the edge of Zoro's bed.

_BA-DUM. BA-DUM. BA-DUM_.

_Maybe I should keep listening. It could change at any second._ Nami's eyes closed, and she drifted into unconsciousness.

_BA-DUM. BA-DUM. BA-DUM._

Zoro awoke some time later, to find a strange weight on his chest.

"Hm?" Sleepily, he opened his eyes to see what the matter was. It was dark, but he could still make out the shape of- Zoro's eyes opened even wider when he saw that the weight on his chest was none other than Nami, who seemed to have fallen asleep resting her head on his chest.

_What is Nami doing? _He wondered, his face feeling warmer than usual.

"Oi," he said quietly, so as not to wake anyone else, particularly Sanji.

"Shut up," Nami mumbled, evidently lost in a dream.

Annoyed that Nami was ordering him around even when she was asleep, Zoro decided not to wake her. She could figure out whatever the hell had happened for herself when she woke up. And anyway, this might be a golden opportunity to annoy the shit out of that damn cook.

Zoro looked again at Nami's peaceful expression as her body relaxed even more, her curves seeming to contour themselves to match the much shallower curves in Zoro's own body.

And though the pressure on Zoro's many cuts made them twinge with pain, he found that he did not mind that it was because of Nami's warm, soft weight on his body. He found that he almost enjoyed the feeling of her closeness and her warmth. It was almost as though... Suddenly, Zoro became aware of his heart beating within his chest, right where Nami's ear rested. Had she been listening to his heartbeat? If so, why?

"The hell...?" Zoro muttered to himself, but discovered that he didn't need to know the reason. Not really. He was just happy to see that tranquil expression on Nami's face, and he knew instinctively that that peace of mind had come about because of her crewmembers' well-being.

In her sleep, Nami stretched her arms out, and left one of them draped across Zoro's midsection, exactly the place where his haramaki usually covered his stomach, that was now covered only with bloodstained bandaging. His injuries twinged as Nami moved, but they soon settled back into the dull ache of before as Nami fell still.

He still didn't know quite what to do about the situation, so Zoro allowed his instincts to take control. Wincing at the pain caused by the movement, Zoro pushed a lock of orange hair out of Nami's sleeping face, then draped his left arm cautiously around Nami's shoulders and relaxed when Nami's deep, even breathing did not falter in the slightest. Zoro couldn't quite place why, but seeing Nami like this, so calm and at peace, made him happy. He smiled as his eyelids began to droop again, suddenly feeling a hundred times better than he ought to.

"Mr. Bushido," Vivi smiled to herself from her vantage point by the window, after she was certain that he had fallen asleep again, "You're one smooth operator, aren't you?"


	9. Chapter 9

**The Second Day at the End of the Alabasta Arc**

"I can't move properly." Zoro complained. "Can't I just take these things off?"

Chopper looked horrified, a rather amusing expression on an anthropomorphic reindeer. "Of course not! They're there so that you _don't_ move too much! You could make your wounds reopen if you're too irresponsible!"

"I don't see how being able to move would cause any more problems than it would solve." Zoro sulked, picking at the end of one of the bandages.

"Don't _do_ that, you moron!" Nami punched Zoro's temple as hard as she could. "Can't we get _anything_ through that thick skull of yours? _Don't take the bandages off._"

"Oww... What the hell, Nami?" Zoro rubbed his head, poking the fresh lump gingerly and grimacing with pain. "I'm not an idiot! I've had injuries worse than this before and lived to tell the tale. Geez, why are you being so cautious about this?"

Nami sighed exaggeratedly, then turned to Sanji, who was lying stiffly on his back, sulking as well. "Sanji-kun, how are your ribs? Does it still hurt?"

Zoro scowled. Why Nami paid any attention to that skinny, curly-eyebrowed, lecherous cook, Zoro had no idea. He thought that Sanji's clinginess, along with his over-the-top, far too constant confessions of love would have been enough to put any woman off, and yet Nami continued flirting with him. True, she also shamelessly exploited Sanji's willing slave labour, just as she shamelessly exploited Zoro's so-called debt to her that he still did not believe to be entirely logical (after all, he _had _returned all of her money right away), but it still annoyed Zoro that Nami should flirt so boldly with the buffoon.

"Oooohhh! Nami-_swan_! You really care for me, don't you? My ribs still hurt, but I'm sure I'd feel much better if you were to give me even one little kiss-" Sanji swooned, sitting up as soon as Nami had spoken, but was cut short when the edge of a wooden chair collided with his face. After a moment of stunned silence, Sanji's expression turned deadly. "Who the hell threw that?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"Shut up, you dumbass cook. Your voice is grating on my ears. Can't even hear myself think." Zoro sneered, sitting back on his pillows.

"Oh yeah, you shitty swordsman? Then how about I make it so you can't hear anything?" Sanji threatened.

Zoro smirked, satisfied that he'd annoyed the cook again. "What do you intend to do, slit your own throat? 'Cause if you want, I can help you with that. But it seems a bit much just so that you won't give me a headache."

"YOU THREW A FREAKIN' CHAIR AT MY FACE, SHITTY MARIMO!" Sanji yelled at top volume, wincing slightly when he moved his broken ribs a bit too much.

"Oi, oi, getting so pissed at one little chair to the face? Jeez, jackass, what's got you so worked up?"

"You want a fight?" Sanji asked, his expression growing even darker than it had been before.

"You don't stand a chance." Zoro grinned, reaching for his katanas.

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Nami thundered, punching both Zoro and Sanji soundly on the temples. "I can't believe that you're both this stupid! Sanji-kun, don't move around so much or you'll hurt yourself even more! Same goes for you, Zoro, I just told you that! Don't go picking fights when you're both this badly injured, it's positively idiotic!" Nami was now in full tirade mode, and all crewmembers conscious knew that there was no stopping her now.

Usopp, trying to attract as little attention as possible, slouched down in his own bed and stuck his long nose in a novel, while Chopper did much the same with a medical textbook he'd borrowed from the Alabastan doctor. Luffy snored on.

"You two just need to shut up and rest quietly!" Nami concluded with a snarl.

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji said cheerfully, and immediately laid back on his pillows. Zoro's lip curled.

"You're such a tool." he muttered.

"What'd you call me?" Sanji retaliated instantly, sitting up without so much as a thought to his broken bones, and seeming to forget Nami's presence.

"Sanji-kun. What did I just say?" she asked, in mock-sweetness.

Instantly, Sanji's entire manner changed. "Ooohn~ Nami-_swan_, you told me to-" he was interrupted by Nami when she smacked him in the temple again.

"I TOLD YOU TO REST, DAMMIT! SO GO TO SLEEP!" she roared.

"Yes, Nami-san." Sanji said in a very small voice, wincing at the fresh lump on his head, and huddled fearfully underneath his blankets. Satisfied, Nami left him there and turned to focus her wrath on Zoro.

Though Nami's gaze held deadly intent, Zoro refused to be intimidated. "It's not that bad." He insisted, readjusting his sitting position with considerable pain. "Anyway, you and I have something to discuss."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Nami asked curiously, allowing herself to be, momentarily, at least, distracted from her tirade to listen. Keeping her eyes on the green-haired swordsman, she picked up the chair that Zoro had thrown at Sanji and dragged it over to Zoro's bedside, limping all the while.

"Don't play innocent. You said that you'd forgive my so-called debt if I defeated those Baroque Works agents!"

Nami laughed, plopping down in the chair. "But you only defeated one, didn't you? I defeated Miss Double-finger, and you only defeated Mr. 1. So you only did half the job."

"The hell kinda logic is that? I saved your life! I even carried you to the square because you were whining about your feet, even though my wounds were clearly worse!"

Nami sighed. "Oh, fine. You have a point. But still, you only did half of what I told you to do then, so I'll only forgive half of your debt. You still owe me 200,000 Beli." She winked at him devilishly.

"You heartless bitch. I'll throw you into Hell myself!" Zoro's blood was boiling. Nami only laughed again.

"Sure, sure. See you then. But that isn't really something you ought to tell someone who just graciously forgave half of your debt, now, is it? Someone more polite, like Sanji-kun, would say 'thank you, Miss Nami,' and be done with it. And maybe a little showering of praise wouldn't go amiss, either."

"You're right as ever, Nami-san!" Sanji called from his bed. Nami glared at him.

"Who told you that you could stop resting?" She asked.

Sanji shut up.

Zoro sighed and sat back on his pillows. It seemed that Nami had absolutely no intention of ever letting him out of debt.

_Well, fine,_ he thought grumpily, folding his arms and sulking mightily. _But if I ever see the entrance to Hell, I'm throwing her in, no questions asked._ He looked back at Nami, who had picked back up laughing at him, and for a moment, their eyes met.

_Or maybe I wouldn't throw her, after all._

**_Author's note: A huge thank-you to everyone who followed, favourited, and reviewed- particularly the reviewers: I love hearing what you think of these silly, silly two!_**

**_Rock on,_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	10. Chapter 10

"Do we have to tether you to your bed?" Nami asked, placing her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot impatiently. Zoro scowled.

"What's it to you? The only reason you even care is because you've deluded yourself into thinking that I owe you some huge amount of money!" He frowned, his grip on the enormous boulder not faltering in the slightest as he lifted it over his head easily.

"'Deluded?' If there's anyone who's deluded, it's you, Zoro! You accepted my terms when I lent you the money, it's your fault for not paying me back three-fold immediately. And since you _still_ haven't paid me back, I had to start charging interest!"

"Yeah, but you've promised to forgive my debt several times now. Let's see, there was that one time at Whiskey Peak when you wanted me to go and help Vivi because you were greedy for a reward... uh... oh! Just two days ago, you told me that you'd forgive my debt if I defeated the Mr. 1 pair... And then..." Zoro strained to remember other promises that Nami had made to him, but stopped when she spoke.

"And you didn't, but I still took off half of your tab. You should be grateful! Anyway, you're making me out to me more heartless than I really am! I'd appreciate it if you could at least _try_ to see me as something other than a loan shark!" She said with exasperation, then seemed to realize that she'd said too much. Embarrassed, Nami put a hand to her mouth and tried to stop herself from going red in the face. _What exactly _do _I want him to view me as?_ She wondered, a blush steadily creeping up her neck.

"Even though that's exactly how you're acting?" Zoro grumbled. He tossed the boulder several meters away, where it landed on the sand and caused a small earthquake that almost made Nami fall over. He stretched out his back muscles, which were now aching with the strain of his workout, and turned to face Nami. "Anyway, I don't see-" Zoro stopped short when he saw Nami's embarrassed expression.

_Wait, why is she blushing?_ Zoro wondered, a little shocked by this uncharacteristic behaviour of Nami's. _Was it something she said? Something I said? I dunno... And she's covering her mouth, too... She almost... Oh, damn, I don't even want to think it, but she's... what's the word? Oh, yeah. Cute. Why does Nami suddenly look so damn cute?_ Zoro felt his own ears go red, and was suddenly reminded of the events of the previous night, where he had woken up only to discover that Nami had been sleeping on top of him.

"W-Well, I mean, it's not as though I really want you to see me as something _more_, y'know, but I'd appreciate it if you stopped acting like I was your enemy or something." Nami finally articulated, still very pink in the face.

"Er... Have I been acting like that? I didn't think that I was." Zoro replied awkwardly, scratching his head and not quite knowing what else to say.

"Sort of. You're always... prickly whenever I try to talk to you."

"Yeah, well, that's usually because you're trying to get me to do something for you." He sat down cross-legged on the sand and looked out at the horizon, wishing that the awkward atmosphere that had suddenly blossomed between himself and Nami would just disappear.

Nami sat likewise next to him, and their conversation lapsed into silence. Both of them merely stared at the western horizon, watching the Alabastan sunset with only the moaning of the desert wind breaking the quiet.

As the sun sank lower and lower beneath the horizon, the light stained the sky a vibrant and beautiful scarlet, though both pirates were far too distracted by their own thoughts to notice this.

"Ah... I've been meaning to ask you, Nami..." Zoro chanced a glance at his crewmate, though Nami kept her eyes averted.

"Yeah? What is it?" nervously, Nami fiddled with a stray lock of her hair, and Zoro's grey eyes zeroed in on the action, and he blushed even more brilliantly. Nami, for her part, still felt far too embarrassed to even look at Zoro: she, too, was recalling the events of the previous night, and cursing herself for having accidentally fallen asleep while listening to his heartbeat. She continued fiddling with her hair seeming not to notice the effect such an action caused on Zoro.

"Well... er... it's... Say, let's go for a drink. I sure could go for some sake, how about you?" he said, chickening out of asking about the events of the previous night, and laughing nervously.

Nami blinked in surprise, feeling relieved and assuming, (falsely, of course,) that Zoro was still unaware of her little slip-up.. "S-Sake?" She asked. Zoro nodded.

"Yeah. It feels as though I haven't had any in months."

"Yeah, you're right. Fine, let's go. I don't suppose you know of any good bars in Alubarna?"

"Nope. I'm not exactly sure how to get back to the palace, either. Lucky thing you're here." Zoro grinned, somewhat sheepishly as he admitted to his lack of navigational skills, though rather spoiling it by adding, "Probably if anyone else came out here to find me, they'd get lost and who knows how long it would take us to get back there."

"Well, Luffy's still asleep, Sanji-kun and Usopp can't actually walk until they've healed some more, and Chopper and Vivi are stuck at the palace taking care of those three. I was the only one who could leave to come and find you. Don't go blaming it on fate, now." Nami stood up, brushing sand off of her lap and backside, trying, unsuccessfully, to be somewhat covert about it.

Zoro's grin widened. "But fate's a funny thing, now, isn't it?" He nearly laughed as Nami's face contorted into a hugely disapproving expression.

"You're so weird." she said, offering a hand to help him up.

"Maybe. But you're weird, too."

**_Author's Note: Aww, you're both plenty weird. Anyway, TEN CHAPTERS! HUZZAH! And really now, going for a drink? I think one (or both) of you is going to have to conveniently lose their inhuman alcohol tolerance for the next couple of chapters... Because plot device. Always the plot device. Alcohol is such a good plot device. *Forcibly drags self from evil plotting of adorable ZoNa moments* Ahem. Yes, well, everything's coming along quite nicely, if I do say so myself: Alabasta sure has given me a lot of fuel for this fic, but after that... Ach, I have to bring more of the Strawhats in, don't I?_**

**_Zillions of thanks to my lovely reviewers, as well as the numerous (also lovely) people who followed and favourited this! I appreciate it ever so much!_**

**_Now I think I could go for some sake myself... or, you know, cheesecake. Same difference, really._**

**_~Lucinda_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Approximately 6 hours later...**

"Nami! I sent you out to get Zoro hours ago! What have you two been doing all this time?" Chopper scolded Nami, which was a rather difficult thing to do, owing to his extremely short stature.

Nami only giggled tipsily, and took a step towards the reindeer, swaying into Zoro and nearly falling.

"Oi, Nami, what's up with you?"He asked, swaying slightly himself.

"Were you two out... drinking?" Sanji asked, apparently horrified. Zoro smirked, while Nami giggled again.

"Why Sanji-kun! You're not _jealous,_ are you? Whoa... Why are there three of you?"

"How much did you drink?" Chopper asked, growing to his most human form and checking Nami's pupils.

"I lost count, but she definitely had more than I did." Zoro answered, guiding the drunken Nami to her infirmary bed, where she collapsed, still giggling, her face coloured with a pink flush from all the sake.

"Zoro! You could destroy your liver like that! I hope you two haven't made any important decisions while you were like this!" Chopper scolded, hurrying over and continuing his examination.

"Right then, it's naptime. Whew, I sure drank a lot of sake." Zoro grinned, ignoring Chopper completely.

"I was surprised that that bar had all of that!" Nami giggled, trying to swat Chopper away.

"Nami, we didn't go to just one bar. We went to... let's see..." Zoro began to count on his fingers, trying to focus his slightly hazy vision. "Twelve? Thirteen? I dunno, but it sure cost a lot of money." He laughed. "Hope you don't expect me to pay you back for that. 'Cause I sure as Hell can't."

"Oi, Zoro, you're drunk, too, aren't you?" Usopp noticed, sounding rather awed.

"I don't think that that's ever happened as long as I've known them. Either of them." Sanji added., nearly as wonder-struck as Usopp by this unusual event, but very unwilling to show it. "Nami-san is obviously suffering a lapse in her judgement, if she went out drinking with that marimo."

"Hey, what are you trying to say, dumbass?" Zoro asked the cook with narrowed eyes, reaching for his katanas.

"Zoro! Stop that!" Chopper wailed. "Vivi! Help me!"

The Alabastan princess hurried over and laid a hand on Zoro's arm. "Mr. Bushido," she said soothingly, Zoro stopped, and relaxed somewhat. "That's better. Now, we don't want you to do something you'll regret later, just because you're drunk now."

"I'm not drunk. What swordsman would allow alcohol to get the better of him? I'm not like some dumbass cook who can't hold his liquor." Zoro insisted.

"What'd you say, bastard?" Sanji called, but Vivi shot him a look, and he quieted instantly.

"Yes, well, it's still late. Why don't you get some sleep, Mr. Bushido?" Vivi asked kindly, and led Zoro to his infirmary bed.

"Yeah, well only because I'm tired. Not because I'm drunk." He insisted, collapsing with a heavy grunt of pain, and promptly passed out.

Chopper hurried over to Zoro and checked beneath his shirt. "Phew," he sighed with relief. "At least he didn't take the bandages off. So he should be fine. Maybe." Zoro began snoring, and Chopper sighed, glancing at the still deliriously giggling Nami. "My goodness, what on earth were those two thinking?"

"Who knows?" Sanji asked grumpily.

**_Author's Note: Yes, as promised, one (or both) members of the ZoNa pairing have mysteriously lost their inhuman tolerance for alcohol... either that or they drank waaaay too much. Now what's going to happen? :)_**

**_Once again, one thousand thanks go out to everyone who followed, favourited, and most especially, reviewed!_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	12. Chapter 12

Zoro awoke in the middle of the night to discover that Nami had somehow found her way into his bed, and was sleeping with her arms around his neck.

"Oi, oi, Nami, what's the big idea?" Zoro asked sleepily.

"Shut up." Nami said in her sleep, evidently still feeling the effects of the alcohol. She tightened the embrace, and Zoro found himself suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. He was grateful that they were both still fully dressed, but that only made the situation slightly less awkward.

"No 'shut up,' give me an explanation!" he hissed, feeling a bit more awake. Nami opened her eyes halfway and smiled at him with a mixture of drunkenness and sleepiness.

"It's too cold in my bed. I thought you wouldn't mind, but if you do, I can always go to Sanji-kun..." She explained, giving Zoro such an innocent puppydoggish look that he was willing to suffer a momentary lapse in judgement himself.

"No. Remember what Vivi said, right? Don't do things you'll regret later." He said stiffly, all too aware of Nami's closeness.

"Oh? And why would I regret going to Sanji-kun? He's so much more polite than you are, after all." she asked, a playful smile flickering across her sleepy features.

"Doesn't stop him from being a jackass." Zoro insisted. Nami's smile widened, and she pressed herself even closer to Zoro's side.

"You sound like you're jealous of him, Zoro. Why? Is it because he showers me with attention every time he sees me?" she began playing with Zoro's earrings and stroking his hair, all of which only served to make Zoro even more uncomfortable than he had been before, something that he had thought impossible.

"No, it's not that. It's just that he's a jackass." Zoro insisted.

"Oh?" Nami said again, this time whispering into his other ear, her lips brushing it gently as she spoke.

"You should go back to your own bed. You were worried about my injuries, right? Well you're not helping them this way, that's for sure." Zoro began babbling, but Nami had already lapsed back into sleep, her face buried in his shoulder and her arms locked around his neck.

_Geez, how am I ever supposed to get any sleep with this weirdo hanging around me?_ he wondered, absolutely sure that he'd gone beet-red in the face.

"Don't worry, I'll be gone before morning." Nami mumbled, and Zoro was immediately irritated. It was Nami's next words, however, that left a knot in his stomach and his heart beating loudly in his ears. "Put your arm around me, I'm cold."

Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, Zoro followed the navigator's orders, shifting his arm so that it wrapped around her waist.

_I wonder why she's being so affectionate?_ Zoro thought. _It's got to be more than the sake. Does this mean that she actually has feelings for me that go beyond nakama?_ He paused in his thoughts, then asked one more question. _And does this mean that I harbour feelings for her as well?_

Zoro didn't know the answer to any of those, and it irked him to no end, making it extremely difficult to go back to sleep, although the sensation of Nami's warm body pressed up against his own certainly wasn't making him any sleepier, either. Eventually, however, his eyelids drooped from sheer exhaustion, and the swordsman drifted once more into his dreams.

Nami awoke next sometime shortly before dawn feeling warm, rested, and somehow happy. True, her hangover was nothing to sneeze at, but with a greasy breakfast cooked up specially by Sanji, her headache would go away quickly. Speaking of Sanji, was that _his_ arm that was wrapped around her?

Nami opened her eyes to find, rather than being embraced by Sanji, she was resting in Zoro's arms instead. Her eyes widened with surprise and her heart seemed to beat faster. _Wait just a minute,_ she thought, feeling rather panicky, _what am I doing with Zoro? Why don't I remember any of this? Why is his arm wrapped around me? Oh, Lord, did I really get drunk? But I never get drunk! It's not fair! _Her thoughts raced through her mind like lightning as she grappled for a decision about what to do next, but all that she could think of was her current situation. And her certain reluctance to remove herself from said situation. _Oh. My. Lord. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?! I am in Zoro's bed, for some reason, snuggled up against him, nuzzling his neck, and his arm is around my waist! What the HELL happened? What the HELL was I thinking?! I don't even know! I'd better get out of here quick before the others wake up and start making assumptions. Even though I have no idea what the Hell's going on myself._

Desperately, she tried to recall what had happened last night after Zoro had invited her to go drinking with him, but everything was a jumble of images that was very difficult to sort out.

_Hey, miss, care to drink with me instead of your pal here? _Who had said that to her? And how had Nami responded? How had Zoro responded?

"_Sir, I'm afraid we're all out now. You two drank it all."_

"_Aw, man, you're Roronoa Zoro, aren't you?! Man, you're so cool! I've known about you since you were a bounty hunter in East Blue! Oh, and who is she, your girlfriend?"_ Nami blushed even more deeply as she recalled the young man who had approached them at the fifth tavern, stars in his eyes. Nami supposed that Zoro must have been the young man's idol, or something, he way he had chattered on. But what made her blush even more was the memory of what Zoro had said in reply.

_And what's it to you?_ Like i was some sort of dare.

Eventually, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, working her way as delicately as she could away from Zoro, trying not to wake him. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear his side of the story, though she was incredibly glad to discover that both she and Zoro were fully clothed. That, at least, assured her that nothing _too_ scandalous had passed between them while her head had been cloudy with drink.

"Where're you going?"

Nami went rigid when she heard Zoro speak. Though she'd squirmed her way into a sitting position where her back was to him and her legs were dangling off of the edge of the bed, his arm was still around her waist, and it tightened as he sat up as well. Nami felt light-headed and swore her heart was beating out of control. And it wasn't just because of her hangover.

"Would you mind telling me what happened last night? I can't seem to remember much after the 43rd tankard." Nami admitted, not daring to look at her crewmate.

"Well, we went to a few more bars, and then you started acting so wasted that they kicked us out, and somehow you managed to steer us back here. Then Chopper scolded us for awhile while you giggled like an idiot, and then I fell asleep." he explained, yawning intermittently.

"Okay, what then? How'd I end up... where I am now?" Nami couldn't bring herself to say _in your bed_.

"Oh, that. I dunno. I sort of woke up in the middle of the night with you, well, there. Kinda like last night, too. You told me that you were too cold in your own bed, or something like that. You really don't remember?"

Nami went, if such a thing was at all possible, even redder than she had been before Zoro had explained. She was very glad that Zoro was speaking in a low enough voice that no one else woke up.

"No." she finally said, tugging Zoro's arm from around her waist. "I don't remember. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone else."

"Whatever. But you know I won't lie if the subject comes up, don't you?" Nami could hear the earnesty in Zoro's voice and knew that what he said was the truth.

"I know." she said quietly, and stood, grateful that her legs seemed to be mostly healed already. "Thank you." she added, heading back towards her own bed and slipping underneath the covers. She shivered. In the absence of an occupant, Nami's infirmary bed and sheets seemed to have become extraordinarily cold during the night, and Nami couldn't help but miss Zoro's reassuring warmth as she curled into a fetal position, trying to get comfortable. _Maybe that's why I went to Zoro,_ she thought, rubbing her forearms as goosebumps began to appear on them. _It really is cold in this bed._

A few beds over, Nami heard Zoro lie back down and readjust his covers. Minutes later, as the sun began to rise, she heard his breathing fall back into a deep, even rhythm, and knew that he had fallen back asleep. Still shivering, Nami turned over and looked at the green-haired katana wielder. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that, in his sleep, Zoro was shivering, too.

_**Author's Note: Eheheheh... I love doing things like this to characters. And I love the fact that Sanji would probably have an aneurysm if he ever found out... But anyway, I think that this just about does it for the Alabasta arc, wonderful as it was. And as for what happened in those twelve/thirteen bars... well... the world may never know. (In other words, I didn't think about that until it was really too late, but don't worry, I WILL write more of Zoro and Nami drinking together. Mostly because it should happen more than it does in the actual manga/show.)**_

_**But yes... I didn't notice this earlier, but it seems as though this series of drabbles has earned me more reviews than any other of my stories! *Sniffs emotionally and waves down imaginary applause* No, no, it's all thanks to you, my loyal reviewers! It means so much to me when you leave a review! And of course when you follow or favourite! (Not sure what the counting on those two are, but I do know they're high. (*Sniffs emotionally again*))**_

_**This is getting kind of long and rambly, so I'll leave off there for now.**_

_**~Lucinda**_


	13. Chapter 13

**During The Jaya Arc**

"Luffy! Zoro! You can forget your promises now, I want you to beat the crap out of him!" Nami shouted, trying not to cry as she watched Luffy get back up, obviously in an enormous amount of pain from his many cuts, and notice Zoro's hand hovering over the handles of his katanas.

"Zoro," Luffy said, in the serious tone of voice he only ever used when issuing a serious order, "Whatever you do, don't fight against them."

"Come... come on, guys!" Nami tried to ignore the jeering of Bellamy and the rest of the pirates assembled in the bar, but could not help feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "Luffy! Zoro! What are you doing!? Fight them! Send them flying!"

"Ha, ha... It's useless, little lady." Nami turned to see the same cocky pirate who had insulted them at he hotel. "They know they're not strong enough to win against Bellamy. Although, I gotta say, choosing not to fight is a wimpy decision."

Nami's ears seemed to ring with his words, and she was struck speechless as another pirate laughed loudly.

"Hahah! Look, their captain's pride is destroyed!"

"I hear that the Marines are being real generous lately," Bellamy's underling replied, in a jocular tone, "All you gotta do is bring 'em the heads of these morons, and you'll get a 30 million Beli reward!"

Despite the verbal and physical abuse, Luffy and Zoro were still standing tall and proud in the middle of the tavern, though they were both bleeding profusely, and if they had been normal people, Nami felt sure that they would have passed out from sheer blood loss by now.

Nami felt confused and angry and tempestuous and hurt, and could barely control herself enough to hear Bellamy spewing some bullshit about dreamers being insects, and calling Luffy and Zoro chicken shit.

_They're a thousand times stronger than you'll ever be! _She thought angrily, biting back a sob as she looked, on, helpless as Bellamy spat ale all over her crewmates, then kicked Zoro to the far end of the room while one of his unpleasant-looking crewmates shoved Luffy through a window.

"Luffy! Zoro!" Nami screamed, and she ran to her captain's side, since he was the closest. _What is going on?! _She thought, fighting back frightened tears. _Why is Luffy acting like this? And why is Zoro going along with it?_

"Hey, little lady!" someone called, but Nami ignored them. "Why not let us buy you off? Following those losers won't get you very far. So how much do you want?"

Nami swiveled to see who had spoken. It was that pirate from the hotel again. From the confident way in which he spoke, Nami could only guess that he was Bellamy's first mate.

"Buy me off?" She repeated, her voice deadly.

The man nodded. "Yup. You'll be very happy with our crew."

Drawing herself up so that she looked more confident than she felt, Nami smirked. "Sorry, loser." She said, "But joining up with a group of small fries like you would be a waste of my talents."

She hadn't expected it to make the entire bar burst out in laughter again.

"Take your worthless friends out of here, while they're still alive." Bellamy sneered, and Nami bit her lip in frustration. However, with no other options available to her, Nami had little choice but to do as he said. Sending one last, irritated glare over her shoulder at the despicable pirate, Nami grabbed Luffy by his collar and began to drag him to the door, pausing only to grab Zoro's collar on the way out.

She was so furious she barely felt it when Zoro's hand reached up to rest on her own in a silent gesture of comfort.

_Sorry, Nami._ Zoro apologized mentally. _Captain's orders._

**_Author's Note: Can I just make it extra clear that I don't own this? This chapter in particular? (Oh, except for that little bit near the end, that's adorable.) And can I also make it clear that my life has decided to start getting really hectic now so I was a bit pressed for time? Well, I have._**

**_Anyway, I am overjoyed to announce (and thank you all) for the 13 favourites, the 17 follows, and the whopping (for me, anyway,) 23 reviews! This makes me quite happy and feel inclined to keep on writing this until I get to the Dressrosa arc (eventually!) So thank you for motivating me!_**

**_Lucinda out! Peace!_**


	14. Chapter 14

**During the Jaya Arc, On the Way to Montblanc Cricket's House**

"Goddammit, Zoro, why the Hell are you so reckless?" Nami folded her arms, watching as Chopper cleaned Zoro's wounds carefully.

Zoro rolled his eyes, wishing as much as Chopper that Nami would just calm down. Zoro and Luffy were still alive, weren't they?

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Zoro!" Nami roared. "And answer me! Why the Hell didn't you and Luffy beat that idiot up?"

Zoro was silent for a bit longer, before Nami took it upon herself to prod him angrily in the shoulder, and he grimaced in pain.

"Fine. I didn't attack them because Luffy ordered me not to. Geez, you were there, weren't you? Ow!" He grimaced again as Nami smacked his temple.

"That's not what I meant, idiot. I meant why did you go along with it? Why did Luffy order you not to fight them?"

Zoro met her gaze blankly for a moment. "I would have thought that was obvious, even to you."

Nami smacked his temple yet again. "Don't play games with me! Just answer the question."

Zoro frowned and averted his gaze. "If you must know, they weren't worth our time."

"What do you mean?"

Zoro sighed as Chopper began to wind bandages around Zoro's battered head. "Those guys were the worst kind of trash, Nami. You heard what they said."

"What did they say?" Chopper finally spoke up, though still fearful of Nami's wrath.

Zoro's attention shifted to focus on the little reindeer. "You really want to know?" He asked. It sounded like a dare.

"Yes?" Chopper said. It was more of a question.

"They said that pirates who had dreams were silly. That they were just going to be snuffed out when the next age comes. But that's just bullshit."

Nami smacked his temple again. "Watch your mouth, swordsman."

"What?" Zoro asked, peeved.

Nami didn't answer, but rolled her eyes pointedly at Chopper then returned her glare to Zoro.

"Um..." Chopper said awkwardly, sensing the atmosphere becoming tense once again. "I'm going to... er... go see if Luffy needs bandages, too." Chopper picked up his medical bag and edged out of the kitchen, leaving Nami and Zoro on their own, glaring at each other.

"Now will you tell me what that was all about?" Zoro asked grouchily. Nami folded her arms once again.

"Chopper's young." Nami said simply. "There's no need for you to teach him crude words like that."

"He's going to learn swearing eventually. And who are you, his mother?"

Nami scowled. "No, but you could be a little more conscious of what you're saying around Chopper. All of you could."

"I don't see the point." Zoro shrugged.

"Of course you don't." Nami rolled her eyes and turned away from Zoro to look out at the others on deck, all of whom were feeling rather terrified of Nami's wrath at the moment. "You never do."

Sighing, Zoro stood up and closed the distance between them. "What is this about?"

Nami glanced up at him, standing beside her. "What do you mean?"

"You sound like you want to lecture me about something other than my use of foul language." Zoro said, looking down at her.

Nami bit her bottom lip. For a moment, all that Zoro could think about was how sweet and strangely innocent Nami appeared like that. And then she opened her mouth again.

"You're always overdoing things and you're so reckless! You barge into fights without a second thought and you always push yourself too far and almost die!" She burst out tempestuously. Hurriedly, she turned away from him, as though hiding something.

"Hey, wait-" he began, grabbing her shoulder with his hand. When she turned to look at him again, Zoro was shocked into speechlessness to see that tears were forming in her eyes. "What... What are you crying for?" He finally asked, feeling extremely unsure of what he ought to do. Nami wiped her tears away, only to have more replace them.

"I... You... Just shut up." Nami ordered, still crying, and much to Zoro's surprise, she leaned against him.

"What are you-?" he began but was interrupted by Nami issuing her favourite order yet again.

"Shut up. Just... Just..." Nami sniffed, blinked away more tears, and buried her face into Zoro's bandaged but otherwise bare chest.

Hesitantly, he put his arms around her in what he hoped was a comforting (and free of charge,) embrace.

"Why don't you ever know when to quit?" She mumbled into his bandages.

"Because I have a dream. And I can't die until I achieve it. You know that." Zoro told her honestly. Nami settled further into his embrace.

"Yeah, I know that. So why do I always get so scared when you fight someone?" Her tears had subsided, but Nami was rather unwilling to leave the warmth of Zoro's embrace. She felt so safe in his arms, it was almost as though the incident at the bar hadn't happened.

"Because I owe you money?" Zoro suggested, and Nami glared at him, annoyed that Zoro had chosen to ruin the moment.

"Oh hush up." She said, disentangling his arms from around her and pushing him away, and Nami felt herself turn pink with embarrassment. _What am I doing? _She wondered as she ran her fingers through her vibrant orange hair, trying to make it look neater as her mind and heart raced.

"Well, if that's all you wanted to lecture me about, I'm going to go take a nap." Zoro said, rather callously in Nami's opinion. She scowled at him and stuck her tongue out at his retreating back as Zoro left the kitchen. When the door clicked shut, A strange sort of shiver ran down Nami's spine as she realized that she was no longer angry.

She shivered again to realize that she had no idea what she was feeling.

**_Author's Note: Yes, I felt so guilty about the whole 'retelling that actual story' bit last chapter, but now we're back to the 'in between moments' format. However, I think that if I find something that Odacchi wrote that has fantastic potential for a ZoNa moment, I think I might use it. :D_**

**_And hooray for the now 27 reviews! Let's see if we can break 30! You guys are so good at motivating me! :D_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	15. Chapter 15

**During the Skypiea Arc**

"AIEEEEEE! ZORO, KILL IT!" Nami shrieked as yet another monster from the Milky Road lunged at her, more than prepared to snap her between its powerful jaws. Zoro sighed, but drew a katana anyway. Over the last several hours, protecting Nami had become such a chore for him, and it was especially annoying, for Zoro, at least, that Robin kept on helping with it. Zoro would kill a monster, only to have one of Robin's creepy disembodied hands catch Nami by the ankle as she nearly fell into the Milky Road. True, Zoro was glad that Nami wasn't dead, but he was certain that he could do without the archaeologist's interference.

Although, if she were to interfere with a certain sea cook's previously unwavering attention to Nami... well, that was a different story.

But he'd still rather cut that smug cook down to size with his own katanas, rather than rely on help from Robin.

Nami, meanwhile, was regretting her decision to tag along on Zoro and Robin's jungle exploration trip. _Why didn't I just stay on the Merry with Chopper?_ She lamented mentally. _I wouldn't have monsters trying to eat me every thirty seconds! And why is it just me? Do they sense that Robin and Zoro are too strong for them?_ She glanced at the bloody corpse of the sky-monster that had tried to eat her most recently and shivered. _I guess their friends' bodies might tell them that._

"Robin, do you see any gold yet?" Nami asked impatiently, shaking herself from troubling thoughts of her surroundings.

"No, Miss Navigator. Do you have any ideas on how to get to the other bank?" Robin replied evenly, walking at a sedate pace between the enormous trees of Skypiea.

"No." Nami admitted, then glanced back at Zoro, who was lagging behind. "Zoro!" she called to him. "Don't dawdle, you'll get left behind and then lost!"

"I got it, I got it. No need to yell." Zoro called back, sounding extremely grouchy for some reason.

"Fine, then. But don't blame me when you end up who-knows-where." Nami admonished him.

"I said I'm coming, didn't I?" Zoro complained loudly.

"Yes, you did. So hurry it up." Nami nodded, seeming sick and tired of Zoro's stormy attitude. Robin glanced slyly from one crewmate to the other and smiled quietly.

_**Author's Note: Yaay! his fic now officially has over twice as many reviews as any other fanfic I've posted! I'm so very happy! :) Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favourited! And a special thank-you to Kimura-Minami, who added this to the lovely ZoNa community **_**Tiger & Cat****_. Check it out if you have some time on your hands and haven't already!_**

**_Peace Out,_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	16. Chapter 16

**During the Skypiea Arc, after the "Pre-Gold-Hunting Dance Ritual"**

"Zoro? You awake?" Somebody nudged Zoro's shoulder with their toe, and Zoro grunted grumpily, but didn't open his eyes.

"Yeah. And for the last time, Usopp, you're a grown man, go to the bathroom on your own. Geez." he said sleepily, and opened his eyes to see... Nami, her hands on her hips and a rather bemused expression on her dimly-lit face. "You're not Usopp." he said stupidly.

"No I'm not." Nami agreed, trying not to laugh out loud. "Did he seriously ask you to go with him so he could pee?"

Zoro felt himself go red. How could he have mistaken Nami for Usopp? _Stupid, stupid, stupid! _He chided himself. _And she even spoke, too! Why wasn't I paying more attention?_ "I'm not going to answer that." He muttered, suspecting that, for the sake of Usopp's ego, at least, it would be better to remain silent on the topic. Nami's bemused smile did not go away, however, and Zoro felt obliged to change the topic. "So what do you want at this hour?" he asked, glad that the darkness masked how very red his face must be at that moment.

Nami sat down next to him, her amusement abated for the time being. "Nothing much. I just... Well, I wanted to say thanks, for saving my life so many times today. It... well..." Nami fumbled for words, which Zoro found oddly... (though he hated to admit it,) endearing of her.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Zoro asked her, his own embarrassment dwindling as Nami's grew more intense.

"Because I don't know when we'll get to see each other again. Privately, at least." She laughed at herself breathily. "Hell, who knows if we'll both live through tomorrow. I mean, you're probably going to be fighting God."

"So?"

Nami was aghast by the swordsman's indifference. "Zoro!" she hissed, "This isn't just some pirate like Buggy or whatever! This is God! He's got supernatural powers we haven't even seen yet, and probably has that same weird power as his subordinates that hurt the Knight of the Sky so badly!"

"I still don't see the point in worrying. I don't believe in God, after all. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure that the loser controlling Skypiea isn't the God that you believe in. That God's supposed to be kind and merciful, right?"

"Well, yeah..." Nami admitted reluctantly.

"And from what we've seen here so far, this chump is anything but kind and merciful. So you got nothin' to worry about, right?" Zoro grinned reassuringly. "Anyway, does all that saving your life stuff get my debt forgiven?"

Nami considered for a moment. "No." She finally decided. "But it does get you this." In a single swift movement, Nami leaned over and pecked Zoro on the cheek. Then, as though nothing had happened, she stood up, dusted her skirt off, and smiled. "Now go back to sleep, my hero. See you tomorrow."

_How does she expect me to sleep now?_ Zoro wondered as he watched Nami's silhouette make its way back to the tent she and Robin shared. _No really, how?_

**_Author's Note: Man, can Nami be infuriating sometimes. Anyway, hooray for the 36 reviews! You guys make me feel like such a celebrity (even though I'm really, really not...) And so many follows and favourites, too! I must say that I am delighted! Thank you so very much, all of you!_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	17. Chapter 17

**At the end of the Skypiea Arc**

"Hey, you. Swordsman."

Zoro looked up from his mug of sky-sake to see Nami standing there, arms folded and a serious expression on her face.

"What?" Zoro asked, somewhat hostily. He did not like to be interrupted while he was drinking.

"You owe me something." She said.

"And what would that be?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Braham, one of the Shandian warriors with whom Zoro had been drinking, snickered. Nami felt her face heat up, but she took her embarrassment in stride and glared menacingly at the Shandian, who had the sense to shut up immediately, though the amused smile did not leave his features.

"Come on, Zoro. Let's talk elsewhere." Nami grabbed Zoro's wrist and tugged, trying to get him to stand up, but without much success, as the swordsman was much heavier than she had anticipated.

"Ouch! Watch it woman! I do have these bandages on for a reason, you know!" Zoro grimaced, pulling his arm out of Nami's grasp, taking one last swig from his tankard in order to drain it dry, before standing up with a grunt.

"Yes, I noticed that you hadn't taken them off yet. Did Chopper finally talk some sense into you?" Nami asked coolly.

Zoro shrugged. "It's a party. I decided to humour him."

Nami rolled her eyes in a rather long-suffering manner. "Whatever works, I guess. Anyway, hurry it up. I can't talk to you seriously with those guys laughing at us." She jerked her head to indicate the various Shandians and Skypieans that Zoro had been drinking with, all of whom grinned good-naturedly.

"All right, All right, I'm coming." Zoro rolled his eyes and followed Nami away from the noise of the party. He glanced back to see Braham raising his tankard in a silent toast and grinning knowingly.

_Not that there's anything to know. _Zoro thought, with a slight twinge of irritation at the idea, though he was more irritated to realize that he felt irritated at the idea. _Why should that be so irritating?_ He wondered as his eyes lingered on Nami's back as she walked ahead of him and his mind began to wander back to the bikini top that she had been wearing earlier. Oddly enough, he felt something that seemed suspiciously like regret that Nami had changed into more modest attire for the party. _Dammit,_ he thought, cursing his own wandering mind, _I'm turning into that blasted Ero-Cook._

He had become so uncharacteristically flustered and distracted that he barely registered when Nami had turned around to face him.

"What's with that look?" She asked, shattering his line of thought and making his face turn red.

"What look?" He asked, feigning innocence.

Now it was Nami's turn to raise a suspicious eyebrow at him. "You had a look. A definite look. And I'm not entirely sure I liked it."

"Well, if that's all you have to lecture me about, I'm heading back. There is a barrel of sky-sake calling my name right now." Zoro turned and took a few steps back the way they had come, guided by the sounds of the party, but Nami caught his wrist before he could go very far.

"I told you already, right?" She asked him quietly. So quietly that he could barely hear her.

"Told me what?" Zoro returned, curiously. What was Nami talking about?

"Not even a week ago, right after that disaster in Mocktown." Zoro turned to look at his crewmate. Nami's bangs had fallen over her eyes, and her expression was unreadable. "I _told_ you."

"And what exactly did you tell me?" He asked, wondering what she was talking about. Nami dropped his wrist and gave him a rough shove.

"What was that for?!" Zoro asked, trying not to wince.

"You almost died. _Again._"

"So what? Plenty of people almost died. Including you. You went with that weirdo, after all."

"I had no choice." She dismissed his argument with a wave of her hand. "You, on the other hand, have no excuse. I _told_ you that I don't like it when you almost die."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I owe you money or something ridiculous like that. Well, if you want me to pay you, I can probably find some gold around here. Maybe."

"You idiot, I don't want gold right now. We'll have plenty of gold tomorrow."

"Oh yeah?" Zoro asked, suddenly suspicious. "And how's that?"

Nami waved her hand dismissively again. "Oh, I have a plan. But don't worry about that right now. You owe me an apology."

Zoro was temporarily speechless. "What?" he asked, thinking that he might have misheard her.

"Apologize to me for making me worry." Nami ordered imperiously.

"Wait, you were worried about me?" Zoro could hardly believe it.

"Am I not allowed to worry about my own crewmembers?" Nami asked, issuing an unspoken challenge in her words.

"I didn't say that." Zoro said evenly.

"Good. So apologize already." Nami folded her arms again.

"I don't feel like it." Zoro shrugged.

"What do you mean, 'you don't feel like it?' I don't recall giving you the choice!" Nami asked in a strangled sort of whisper, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from the direction of the party.

"I mean exactly what I say. I don't regret my actions. Any apology that I'd offer you now would be a lie. And unlike some of us, I'm not in the habit of saying things I don't mean." Zoro said, unabashedly honest.

"And just what do you mean by that?!" Nami demanded, feeling rather insulted, even though a part of her knew that what Zoro was insinuating was true.

"I'm not the one who used to earn a living by deceiving pirates and stealing their money." Zoro pointed out coolly.

"I had to! It was the only way to get the money so that I could free my village from Arlong!" She was speaking more loudly now, her urge to keep the conversation a secret competing with her urge to scream outright at the blockheaded swordsman. "And why are you even bringing that up? That was ages ago!"

"People's natures don't easily change." Zoro reminded her. He seemed remarkably calm when compared to Nami, who was steadily growing more and more frustrated with her green-haired crewmate.

"You-" Nami began, but Zoro wasn't finished.

"Which is why it's always so strange to see you acting against your own."

"What-?" Nami began again, but was interrupted again.

"You have a kind nature. I know that. I've known that since you saved me from drowning at Arlong Park. But what I don't know is why you feel that you have to be so damn deceptive about it."

"I..." Now it was Nami's turn to be rendered speechless.

"But I suppose you were right. I was a bit thoughtless going up against that fake god, so I'm sorry for making you worry, I guess. Now I'm gonna go back to my sky-sake, if you'll excuse me." Zoro sauntered off in the opposite direction of the party as though he hadn't said anything important.

"Other way, idiot." Nami barely had the presence of mind to point Zoro in the correct direction, so distracted was she by what he had said to her.

_At least I got my apology._ She thought. _Now if only it didn't have to be so confusing._

**_Author's Note: Haha, Nami, that's what you get for confusing poor Zoro in the last chapter! Well, that just about does it for the Skypiea arc, and I think that I may have to start updating less often now because of stupid school stuff. Stupid Frankenstein needs to get his stuff together, that's all I've got to say._**

**_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed; we have reached exactly 40 reviews now! Wow, I am so very impressed with both myself and all of you! :D_**

**_Thanks to all of you again!_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	18. Chapter 18

**On the Way to Water 7**

Why had he decided to sit near her? It was a decision that Zoro did not regret, not even now with the Ero-Cook screeching profanities at him, saying things like "_You wanna fight, shitty marimo?"_ and calling him names like "_Cactus-head,"_ which was a new one. But why didn't he regret sitting on the deck only a few feet away from Nami's chair as she read peacefully?

The position definitely had its perks, Zoro discovered. Since Nami was busy reading whatever it was she was reading- probably some book, but Zoro wasn't overly fond of books that weren't full of diagrams of swordfighting techniques- and believed Zoro to be fast asleep, as he usually was this time in the afternoon, it was all too easy to sneak glances at her every so often from beneath his half-closed lids.

But why was he sneaking glances? Why did Zoro feel as though he couldn't just _look_ at her?

It was because he had no words with which to explain himself.

Zoro wasn't good with words. He wasn't very good with friendship, either. Really, he wasn't much good with anything other than swordplay. He especially wasn't good with women.

He blamed Kuina for that. Just when he thought he might have figured her out, she went and died on him, and now Zoro would never know for certain. It hadn't been Kuina's fault, of course, but all the same, Zoro had never allowed himself to become close friends with another woman since then. At least, not until a certain orange-haired, irritating, exasperating expert navigator and thief came into the picture.

And that had been months ago. Now he was sneaking looks at her as they were headed to Water 7 to find a shipwright to join the Strawhat crew.

What was wrong with Zoro? He was sneaking looks at _Nami_, for Pete's sake! Zoro was playing a dangerous game with this. Probably if Nami caught him at it, she'd fine him some ridiculous amount of money.

She was like that about money: it was always money, money, money with Nami. Zoro supposed that he could have cut her some slack, what with the whole Arlong business, but there were boundaries in his forgiveness.

And charging him three times the amount he'd actually borrowed even after he'd returned every single Beli to her almost immediately definitely lay outside of those boundaries. As did charging a ridiculous amount of interest as long as he did not pay her back in full.

Nami was always so infuriating, and yet... And yet Zoro didn't want to think of life without her. In fact, by this point it was almost unthinkable. _Now what does _that _mean? _Zoro wondered as he drew a katana in order to block the Cook's foot from connecting with Zoro's face.

Nami watched the swordsman and the cook fighting from the corner of her eye and sighed. Why did everything have to be a reason for those two to jump at each other's throats? It was irritating.

They were both irritating, but each in their own way. And Zoro was more irritating than Sanji: if Sanji was annoying her, all Nami had to do was point him in the direction of Robin and off he'd dash. Or else she could give him some meaningless and arduous chore to do and he'd dash off just as happily to follow her orders.

Zoro, however, was different. Nami could hardly ever get him to do anything other than sleep, drink sake, and train when they weren't in a life-threatening situation. It was obnoxious. And then there were the moments when he could be so sweet without even seeming to realize it, and Nami would be more irritated with him than ever.

And he had been sneaking looks at her before Sanji had tripped over him. Nami had seen him. Multiple times. Covertly opening his eyes just enough to see, looking her direction, then quickly shutting his eyes again. What was he playing at? And why was he being so covert about it?

_Oh,_Nami realized, _it's probably because he thinks I would fine him if I caught him staring at me._ Would she have? Much as she hated to admit it, if Zoro had been any more obvious about it, she probably would have been forced to fine him. Quite a lot of money, actually.

But since he evidently thought that he was being discreet about it, and probably hadn't noticed that Nami had noticed, Nami could allow it.

But why was he sneaking glances at her in the first place?

They weren't annoyed glances, they were... What? Guilty? Admiring? Possibly a mixture of both? Nami wasn't sure, but it was definitely something. _Something_ and not _nothing_. Not the nothing that had been in his eyes so many times when he had looked at her before this.

But at least now she had something instead of nothing.

_**Author's Note: Eeeee! It feels like I haven't updated this in forever! I'm sorry! :( I'm on vacation right now (so my internet situation is highly changeable,) and I STILL have a whole bunch of schoolwork to finish and about nine days to finish it! Anyway, there's really no dialogue in this chapter, is there? Very introspective, for once.**_

_**Basically, I just saw this one panel where Zoro and Nami were close to each other and seized that opportunity. :)**_

_**Peace Out**_

_**~Lucinda**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Just After the Duel Between Luffy and Usopp**

"How is anyone supposed to get any sleep around here?" Zoro muttered to himself, listening to Chopper's sniffling from somewhere off to the left of him, and, from farther across the rented room, his keen ears picked up the sounds of Nami weeping as well. _Damn it,_ he thought _Usopp left a big hole, didn't he?_

Luffy was gone, probably somewhere on the roof, Zoro suspected. Sanji, too, had vanished, probably to try and find Robin, leaving Zoro, Chopper, and Nami on their own.

Moving quietly, Zoro sat up and reached out to Chopper, tapping the reindeer gently on the shoulder.

"Oi, Chopper. Nami."

"Zoro? You're awake, too?" Chopper sniffled.

"Yeah. I don't think anyone is really able to sleep. What about you, Nami?" Zoro replied.

"Yes. I'm awake." Nami said, lighting a lantern and looking at Zoro with red-rimmed eyes. "How could I not be, after all?" She laughed bitterly, and Zoro felt a twinge of pain at the sound. _I hate having to be the heartless one now, of all times. It's not like I don't miss Usopp as well._

"We all miss Usopp." he said finally, meeting Nami's gaze evenly. "But missing him won't fix anything, and it won't make you feel any better about letting him leave."

At that, Nami flew into some sort of tearful rage. "You're one to talk!" she shouted, fairly flying across the room and slapping the swordsman across the face.

"Nami!" Chopper bawled, but Zoro took the blow silently. Nami raised her hand again, but Zoro caught her by the wrist.

"Before you get so upset with me, just think for a moment: who are you really mad with?" He asked, calm insistence in his tone.

Nami met his gaze for only a few seconds before she broke down. Sobbing, she pressed her face into Zoro's chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. Silently, he put one arm around her, then offered the other to Chopper, who, blubbering wordlessly, hurried into the embrace as well.

"It's not like I don't miss Usopp as much as you two do." Zoro told the two quietly, though he could not be sure if they heard him or not, they were making so much noise. "It's just that you need a shoulder to cry into, right? Someone has to keep everything from falling apart around us."

"And that's you, then, is it?" Nami asked, still weeping, her voice muffled by Zoro's shirt.

"I suppose." He answered evenly, unwilling to let on how very close to tears he was himself.

"Let's go up to the roof, Zoro." Chopper said suddenly. "It's too hot in this room. I feel like it's suffocating me."

"Me too." Nami agreed.

"Okay, but you two'll have to be quiet. We don't want to disturb the captain, do we?"

"We'll be quiet." Nami promised, though when Zoro attempted to stand, he was momentarily dragged back down by the weight of the two, who seemed to have forgotten how to let go of him.

Given the circumstances, Zoro couldn't exactly blame them.

* * *

_**Author's Note: I hated this part. In the Manga and the Anime. I just couldn't stop crying: I adore Usopp so much, and he's so clever, but he does really stupid stuff sometimes. Anyway, yeah, on that (super depressing) note, this has reached 50 reviews! That's a milestone! In honour of such a milestone, I am offering to write a (or quite possibly more than one,) drabble about any filler arc up to this point in the anime. Here's the best bit: you guys get to choose which one! (Oh, and I should mention, I'll count the Davy Back Fight arc as filler, mostly because it does include a fair amount of filler in the anime version and also I was too lazy to try and figure out something before I got to Water 7. However, the early actually canon arcs, like Arlong Park, are not up for suggestion. I have plans for those.) So you can leave a suggestion in your reviews, or PM me if you'd rather, and I'll see what I can do between now and next week! Oh, also, I'm open to the idea of starting up my own little version of an SBS (which I SWEAR has to stand for (Oda) **__**S**__**ensei's **__**B**__**ull **__**S**__**hit,) with similar rules: leave a question in a review or PM me, and we'll see how it goes!**_

_**Here's to 50 reviews!**_

_**~Lucinda**_


	20. Chapter 20

"Cheers, then." Zoro lifted his mug of beer before downing the entire contents in one gulp. The three Galley-La carpenters he was drinking with mimicked his actions, though they did not notice the swordsman's wandering eyes.

_Dammit._ He thought, seeing Nami talking to that damn cook again as he made shish kebabs as quickly as people (though usually Luffy) could snatch them up. Nami was daintily sipping some sort of orange liqueur, and laughing at something the stupid cook was saying. Actually laughing. He couldn't actually hear what was being said, since the sheer noise of the party drowned out any hope of eavesdropping. How very annoying.

As Zoro downed another mug, he watched as Robin nudged Nami gently, then nodded in Zoro's direction. Awkwardly, he froze as Nami's warm and smiling brown eyes met his own intense grey gaze. Almost immediately he looked away sheepishly, feeling strangely embarrassed to be caught staring, and searched for another tankard to drown his discomposure in. So embarrassed and focused on his task, Zoro did not notice when Robin nudged Nami again, muttered something to her, and pushed her in Zoro's direction.

"Mind if I join you guys?"

Zoro looked up to see, to his distinct mortification, Nami standing above them, smiling.

"It's indecent for a woman to be drinking with men!" Paulie protested, but Nami scoffed at him.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Paulie. I can hold my drink better than Zoro."

Trying to ignore the redness that coloured his face, Zoro made a quiet scoffing sound as he downed another drink. Nami turned to him sweetly.

"Was that a challenge, Zoro?" She asked, a sly smile slowly replacing her innocent one. "Because if you think you can out-drink me, you're sorely mistaken."

Zoro grinned at her unspoken challenge, glad to have something else to think of rather than his own embarrassment. "You're on. Sit down, grab a tankard, and get ready to taste defeat, bitch. 'Cause you're gonna lose."

Nami pouted, making Zoro's heart seem to skip a beat and his confident expression waver.

"You're always calling me such mean names, Zoro. I wish you'd stop."

"Whatever. You've been called worse by people other than me. Sit down already."

"Hey! I said that it was indecent for a woman to be drinking with men, didn't I? And she's dressed like that, too! Have you no shame?" Paulie tried protesting again, but his fellow carpenters ignored him.

"I'm a pirate, in case you'd forgotten, Paulie. And anyway, Zoro already challenged me to a drinking contest. It would injure both of our honours if I were to walk away now. And we can't have that, now can we?" Nami grinned, and raised a tankard in Zoro's general direction. "May the best drunk win, then."

"I plan to." Zoro grinned right back at her.

_**Author's Note: Soooo... School is back in session... and I really, really won't be able to update more than once a week. Sorry, but that's the way it has to be. I'll try to update either Sundays, or maybe Wednesday would be better. That way it can be "One Piece Wednesday" at least for me. :) I do like alliterations... Anyway, that whole "50 review special" thing? Yeah... maybe next time. I was totally going to do that and then I realized that it was Sunday already! But yes, 20 chapters! This is exciting!**_

**_~Lucinda_**


	21. Chapter 21

**Whoops, I forgot to add the timeframe in the last chapter! Anyway, this is at the end of the Water 7 Arc, during the big party. :)**

"Oi, Nico Robin. There you are." Robin turned partway in her seat to see Franky waving at her from a few yards away, wearing a clean hawaiian shirt and his pompadour looking particularly fluffed-up and cared for for the party.

"Oh, excuse me, Sanji-kun, but I should probably go talk to him. Pardon." Robin excused herself, leaving the cook to bemoan his fate.

"What will I do without a beautiful lady to talk to?" he looked up into the sky, seeming to be asking God himself this question.

"SAANJIIII! MORE MEAT-KEBABS!" Luffy roared, and Sanji felt almost inclined to weep at the fact that not just one, but both of his female crewmates had decided to abandon him. He perked up, however, upon sighting a curvy, bikini-clad young lady with long brown locks coming his way. _Maybe tonight won't be a total waste after all,_ he thought to himself, sending the smoothest, suavest smile he could manage in the woman's direction.

"What is it, Franky?" Robin asked the cyborg, who was currently focusing his entire consciousness onto the task of twiddling his rather large thumbs awkwardly. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous about something. Seeing him so nervous helped Robin to calm down herself: she was still shaken from her earlier conversation with Aokiji.

"I'm sorry." He finally blurted.

Robin smiled, but was nevertheless nonplussed. "What are you apologizing to me for?" she asked, bemused. "If anyone, you ought to be apologizing to Luffy and Usopp, not that they haven't already forgiven you for your actions."

"What? Oh, you're talking about that whole beating Usopp up thing. No, this isn't about that. It's... Well..." he trailed off, twiddling his thumbs again.

"Go on." Robin prompted.

Franky took a deep breath, then began to explain. "Well, a long time ago, my master Tom-san told Iceburg and me about you. This was like, right after you got your first bounty, yeah? He told us you were dangerous n' stuff and that you could destroy the world and all of that with the poneglyph stuff, and that's why we needed the blueprints..."

"Which you've since burned to a crisp." Robin nodded, thinking that she saw where he was going with this.

"Yeah. But, um, no, that's not what I'm apologizing for. Before I met you or anything and saw how much your crew cared for you n' stuff, I had some pretty mean thoughts. Like somehow you were the reason that Tom-san was taken to Enies Lobby all those years ago because you could resurrect a totally evil weapon that we needed to keep those blueprints for, which were the things that the government was actually after, as it turned out..." Franky was babbling. He knew that, but try as he might he could not stop. He was grateful when Robin interrupted him.

"Are you apologizing to me... because of unkind thoughts?" She asked him, half surprised and half amused.

"I guess... yeah?" Franky scratched his head awkwardly. "But now I've met you and I think you're super awesome and kind and hot and just super... well, super. I'm really glad that you decided to live and I hope we'll meet again sometime, if you ever come back to Water 7."

Robin smiled, touched at the man's honesty and knowing that this conversation had taken him quite a lot of nerve. She wondered whether it would be appropriate for her to invite him to come along as a new crewmate, but quickly decided against it, deciding that she did not have the authority to extend such an invitation: Only Luffy could invite a new crewmember aboard. Not that she'd exactly waited for him to ask her before stowing away on the Merry as the Strawhats were leaving Alabasta. "Well, don't worry, Franky. I accept your apology. All's forgiven. Now, why don't you and I people watch for awhile?" Robin smiled.

"SUPER!" Franky grinned, evidently relieved that the awkward conversation was over. "Hey, you want a cola?"

Robin smiled again. "Why not?"

_**Author's Note: Yes, I know, this is undeniably a FRobin chapter, but believe me when I say that this is a set-up! Yes, a set-up for something hilarious yet to come! And yes, I felt so sorry for Sanji that I gave him some random girl to chase that may or may not play a role later on... and anyway, Franky and Robin are so cute together! :3 Oh, and thanks to everyone who wished me luck in school: I'm probably going to need it. :D**_

_**Peace,**_

**_~Lucinda_**


	22. Chapter 22

**At the End of the Water 7 Arc, still at that ludicrously huge party.**

"Hey, look at those two. They're your nakama, aren't they? They're looking quite comfortable." Franky commented, gesturing at a certain orange-haired navigator and a certain moss-headed swordsman.

"Why so they do." Robin smiled.

Nami and Zoro were still steadily drinking, neither willing to concede their bet, though they had begun to slow down. Between each drink, they spoke to each other, but Robin and Franky were too far away to hear their conversation over the noise of the party.

"I wonder what they're saying." Franky thought aloud. Robin smiled mischieviously.

"Care to find out?"

Franky looked at her suspiciously. "Do you have some way to eavesdrop on them from over here?" he asked, though he already suspected that she did.

Robin only smiled, crossed her forearms in front of her. "Orejas Fleur," she muttered, and on Zoro's back, where no one would notice it, appeared a perfect facsimile of one of Robin's dainty ears.

"All I'm saying is don't forget what happened in Alabasta." Zoro was saying when Robin began eavesdropping.

"Aw, shut up. You didn't out-drink me then, either." Nami muttered. From across the pool, Franky and Robin saw that Nami's face was flushed rather pink from the drink, and Zoro wasn't far behind.

"So what are they talking about?" Franky asked eagerly, seeing Robin's smile.

"Something about Alabasta. Probably the party they had after they defeated my former boss. Seems like they drank together then, too."

"Now isn't that cute," Franky grinned, watching the two pirates as they continued to drink mug after mug of beer, wine, sake, and any other alcohol they could find.

"I have to agree with you there. Oh, wait a moment, they're talking again."

"You ended up _in my bed_ in the _middle of the night._" Zoro reminded Nami, and she shushed him hastily.

"Shut up, idiot! I told you never to speak of that again!" Nami hissed at the swordsman. "What if somebody hears you?"

"Who'll hear me? This party is so damned loud, I can barely hear Luffy. And you know how loud he is when he wants more food." Zoro returned, downing another tankard.

"I dunno, but whoever does will definitely get the wrong impression if you keep talking like that." Nami scowled.

Robin's eyes danced with the prospect of the juicy bit of information she had just overheard. "Really?" She murmured, very amused.

"What? What is it?" Franky asked, now completely enthralled with the conversation that he was not supposed to be hearing any of.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," Robin teased. "It seems to be a rather sensitive topic to both of them..."

"Aw, come on! It would be so un-super of you to back out now!" Franky complained. Robin only smiled mysteriously.

"Hm. Fine, but don't go telling anyone else now." She conceded, a little bit too easily. Franky grinned, and listened in captivated interest as Robin related the details of what she had heard.

"Damn," he said, and laughed good-naturedly. "Aren't those two good together?"

"I have to agree with that," Robin smiled. "They're both very cute when they're together like that. So very in denial." She hushed Franky again before he could reply. "They're talking again," she explained.

"How about we make this a little more interesting?" Nami was saying, rather flirtatiously it seemed to Robin.

"How so?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow in interest.

"We could make a little wager on this." Nami edged closer to the swordsman, and though he seemed a little unsettled with the navigator's proximity to him, Zoro didn't back away.

"Terms?" he asked in a grunt.

"Well, how about if you win, I forgive all of your debt. That sound good to you?"

"And if you win?" Zoro asked suspiciously: knowing Nami, she was definitely up to something.

"When I win, you have to be my slave and do whatever I tell you for five whole days. What do you say?" Nami asked sweetly. Zoro could only stare at her for a moment, at a complete loss for words.

"That doesn't seem very fair, now does it?" Was all he could say. Nami rolled her eyes.

"Well, what do you suggest?" She asked in a rather mocking tone.

"You have to be my servant for two days, along with forgiving my debt completely." Zoro suggested. Nami regarded him for a moment, as though trying to decide if he was serious or not.

"Deal. But let's agree now that we don't make each other do anything outright indecent. No perverted stuff, no killing anything or anyone, no needless danger, and nothing too morally unacceptable. Okay?"

"Is that fear of losing I hear in your words?" Zoro asked, smirking.

"No, idiot. I'm just giving myself limits. For your own safety, Zoro. You'll thank me later."

"I can still think of plenty of things to do with you for two days, though, even with those limitations." Zoro said, a rather wicked smile spreading across his face as he contemplated the possibilities."

"What's that supposed to mean you weirdo?" Nami shoved Zoro as he began to gulp down another tankard, making him spit and splutter as a result. Robin was quite satisfied to notice that Nami had gone a bit redder at Zoro's extremely suggestive words.

"It would seem that they made a wager with each other." Robin smiled "Well, well, this should be interesting no matter who wins."

"What terms did they agree to?" Franky asked, and noting Nami's flustered countenance, he added, "and why's the navigator so red in the face?"

Robin smiled.

_**Author's Note: My apologies for the delay, but I've had a lot of homework already this year (it's awful.) plus I think I'm catching a really awful cold that's been going around my school. So essentially I'm trying to avoid my homework and not feel awful but this so-called "honey flavoured" cough drop is absolutely disgusting and I really don't think it's helping at all. Anyway, here you go for "One Piece Wednesday," I hope you enjoy the copious amounts of FRobin and ZoNa. :)**_

_**~Lucinda**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Water 7, approximately 12 hours since the last chapter.**

"Don't be a sore loser, Zoro." Nami smirked triumphantly. "I won fair and square, and you know it." Nami actually had no idea if such a thing was true: she could only recall up to a certain point what had happened the previous night, but Zoro had no way of knowing this. And after all, Zoro himself had been the one who informed her of her victory, only a few seconds ago. Right before he'd made a rather rude hand gesture in her general direction, turned over in his bunk, and pulled the covers over his head like a sleepy child who didn't want to get up.

At Nami's words, however, Zoro turned back to her and opened an eye. "Don't you have a hangover, woman?" He asked grumpily, his own head pounding horribly.

Nami waved her hand dismissively. "Sanji-kun is making some breakfast for us that'll fix your headache. You are not getting out of a second of this, Zoro."

"Whatever." He grunted.

"Oi, shitty Marimo! Don't talk to the lovely Nami-san like that!" Sanji yelled at him from the stove where he was busy cooking breakfast for the crew.

"Shut up, curly-brow." Zoro grumbled, rubbing his temples and wincing.

"If I were you, which thank God I'm not, I'd be ecstatic about helping Nami-san for a whole five days!" The cook's cigarette drooped as a lecherous smile spread across his face.

"Because it's _totally _not as though you're her slave 24/7 anyway." Zoro sneered at his rival. "Tool."

"Zoro, first order of the week: get along with Sanji-kun. Got it?" Nami was also massaging her temples as though her head ached. "I am so not in the mood to listen to you two bickering."

"Erm, Nami-san, I actually think that may be impossible." Sanji said awkwardly. Nami glared at him, but saw his point.

"Oh fine. Then just don't speak to each other. I have a headache, don't forget." She conceded, though reluctantly.

"Fine by me," Zoro muttered to himself. Nami turned to face him.

"You're not nearly done, mister. Get over here and rub my temples for me." Nami commanded imperiously.

"Fine." Zoro muttered, and got out of his bunk, stretching as he did so before going to Nami to do her bidding.

"And for the next five days, you are to address me as 'Nami-hime-sama. You will carry all of my things when I go out shopping, you are to intimidate the creeps who try to hit on me, bow to me when I address you, wait patiently outside the shops as I shop without wandering off and getting lost, and always walk behind me and not in front of me." Nami took a deep breath after finishing her list of orders, to which Zoro was stubbornly silent. "Any questions, servant?" Nami prompted a bit irritably. Zoro thought for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah. How long have you been thinking up these things for? It seems a bit too... Polished."

Nami felt herself flush with a strange mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Just what are you insinuating, servant?"

Zoro smirked. "Oh, nothing. It's none of my business what goes on in your head, even if it is perverted stuff like that."

Nami slapped his hands away from her temples angrily. "Shut up, servant! You're also not allowed to speak to me in that indecorous manner!"

"Yes, how dare you speak to Nami-san in such a way!" Sanji brandished the spatula he was holding menacingly. "You blockhead!"

"Oh, did you say something, cook? I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to talk to you, dart-brow." Zoro grinned unrepentantly, but sat down without another word. Nami glared at him.

"You..." she struggled to find words as she went even pinker in the face with fury. "Just..." She scoffed finally, trying to regain her composure. "Just be quiet until I say you can speak."

"Whatever."

Nami kicked his shin underneath the table and Zoro winced, but didn't speak.

He only wondered: _Why did I allow myself to lose that bet?_

**_Author's Notes: Happy One Piece Wednesday! Another short one, yes, but this is just... Wow, Nami. I wouldn't put this past her, actually. Anyway, those 12 or so missing hours since the last chapter? Those are going to be important, so don't forget about the gap in time. I have definite (very fluffy) plans for some of those hours. Oh, and if you have anything that you'd like me have Nami make Zoro do, feel free to PM me with ideas! If I like it and feel that I can write it properly, it'll probably make it into the next chapter(s) with a citation of whoever I got the idea from, of course! :)_**

**_~Lucinda_**


	24. Chapter 24

**At the end of the Water 7 Arc**

If one had walked into the Rutherian Boutique and Costume Shop on Gatto Canal Street late that morning, they would have had to pass a snoring figure sitting in a chair, who was halfway buried underneath the pile of boxes, parcels, and, curiously, an anvil. One might perhaps pause to look at this strange figure long enough to figure out that he was a green-haired man who was fast asleep apparently without any regard to any discomfort the items in his lap might have been causing him. This figure was, of course, Roronoa Zoro, and he was waiting as patiently as he knew how for Nami to finish shopping in the boutique: by falling (mostly,) asleep.

Now, if one passed the sleeping figure of Roronoa Zoro and actually stepped into the Boutique and Costume Shop, one would find two women looking at a particular costume, the redheaded one debating with herself about whether or not it was worth it to buy the costume, and the taller, raven-haired woman laughing quietly to herself.

"But I mean, it would humiliate him, and that's the whole idea," The redhead, who was of course Nami, reasoned. "Plus it would be absolutely hilarious... What do you think, Robin?" Nami turned to her crewmate and friend, and Robin forced herself into a more composed state of being to answer.

Even so, her eyes still twinkled with mirth as she spoke. "If the price is what you're worried about, I'll chip in a bit. I think that Zoro would look quite charming in it."

Nami laughed. "That's one way of putting it!" she said gleefully, and took the costume down from the rack and made a beeline for the counter. She paused, however, when she passed a rack of animal ear headbands and plucked one off of the display. 'And he can wear these in the meantime," she smiled to Robin, who chuckled.

"Carry this." Nami shoved yet another parcel at him as she walked out of the clothing boutique.

"Fine." Zoro muttered as Nami put her most recent purchases on top of the teetering stack of boxes that Nami had collected earlier in the day.

"Good. Now come on, Robin and I have a lot more shopping to do. And remember to walk behind me, servant."

"Yeah, whatever." Zoro grumbled.

Nami ignored him. "Robin, let's go then. Where should we go next?"

Robin, who had left the clothing boutique just after Nami, smiled serenely. "Oh, I don't know. How does a bookstore sound to you? I'd love to expand the collection we have on our ship while we have the opportunity."

Nami smiled politely. "Of course. Let's go find a bookstore. Hey, servant, follow us and don't get lost, got it?"

Zoro rolled his eyes but did as he was told.

He almost ran straight into Nami when she stopped short suddenly and turned to look at him again. "I almost forgot," she said, a rather sadistic grin spreading across her face as she stood on tiptoe to reach the most recent box and rifle through its contents. After a few seconds, she withdrew a headband with a pair of green cat ears affixed to it. Before Zoro could process what was happening, Nami had run around behind him and snapped the headband (rather painfully,) into place on Zoro's head.

"What-" Zoro began, but forcibly stopped himself. Nami smirked and strode back to her original position, folding her arms and smirking.

"Aren't you going to thank me for my generous gift?" Nami was trying desperately not to melt into giggles at how utterly ridiculous Zoro looked, his arms full of parcels (and the anvil,) with only the green cat ears peeking out from behind the stack.

Zoro muttered something inaudible.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you." Nami's sadistic smile widened.

"Thank you for the gift, Nami-hime-sama." Zoro carefully enunciated through gritted teeth.

Nami smiled, satisfied, and headed in the direction of the nearest Water 7 bookstore, although Robin hung back a little in order to say something to the swordsman.

"You know, this could all have been avoided if you only told her the truth about last night."

"Like Hell," Zoro muttered.

_**Author's Notes: A very special shout-out to Chopper-chi who came up with the absolutely golden idea of Zoro's cat ears- I'd never have thought of it! And as for Zoro's very special costume, you guys'll have to wait until next week to find that out! (Though I will admit that Shivisdivis gave me a wonderful, wonderful idea...) Anyway, I am still trying to think up more things that Nami would have Zoro do since I don't have nearly the twisted imagination that Nami seems to have.**_

_**Peace out!**_

_**~Lucinda**_


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